The claims for increased ratings for the Veteran's service-connected bipolar I disorder and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including review of recent medical records and an addendum opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA medical treatment records indicate that the Veteran’s bipolar I disorder fluctuates within the past several months, sometimes depending on prescribed medication. An addendum opinion is necessary to address the overall severity of her symptoms related to her service-connected disability in terms of activities of daily living and occupational activities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bipolar I Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19118023
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,435 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19118023.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for Bipolar I Disorder and a Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current mental health conditions are due to events during his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for PTSD and bipolar disorder was granted with an effective date of April 2, 2018. The decision acknowledges that the initial denial in January 2015 became final but finds that the Veteran continuously pursued his claims since filing a formal intent to file on April 2, 2018.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of February 22, 2021, for the award of service connection for PTSD with bipolar I disorder is granted.,The issue of whether there was clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the December 1, 1998 rating decision denying service connection for schizoaffective disorder is remanded.
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